Banknote acceptors typically include a banknote validator that cooperates with a removable banknote cassette that stores accepted banknotes in a stacked manner. Many of the banknote acceptors include a removable metal or plastic banknote cassette that is lockable. In this way, the banknote cassette can be removed from the banknote acceptor and any banknotes received in the banknote cassette are not accessible. Typically, these lockable banknote cassettes are taken to a secure facility and the banknote cassettes are unlocked and the banknotes counted and processed.
Typically, the removable banknote cassette that is lockable includes its own internal stacking mechanism that is typically driven by a drive member of the banknote acceptor. The drive member can include a rack and gear arrangement or a cam arrangement that typically drives a scissor bar type mechanism within the banknote cassette to add a received banknote to a stack of banknotes within the cassette.
For some applications, the banknote acceptor does not require the additional cost of a lockable banknote cassette. Some banknote acceptors include a stacking mechanism as part of the actual banknote acceptor that cooperates with a non lockable banknote cassette. These non lockable banknote cassettes are received in the banknote acceptor and one side of the banknote cassette is basically open. A received banknote is forced through this large opening and stacked within the removable cassette. When the cassette is removed, the last stacked banknote is exposed within the large port of the cassette. It is common practice to have such open or unlocked cassettes made of a plastic material as there is no requirement for the housing of the cassette to provide security as the stacked banknotes are easily accessed through the open port.
The present invention provides a number of improvements to banknote acceptors and provides additional flexibility with respect to such banknote acceptors.